Alaves vs Real Madrid : Carlo Ancelotti's side eyeing an important win in their last encounter of 2023

Real Madrid will conclude the calendar year with an away fixture against Alaves on Thursday. The La Liga giants are fresh off a dominating 4-1 victory over Villarreal. They are ready to focus on their last assignment of the year - a fixture at the Mendizorrotza Stadium.

Despite showcasing plenty of positives against the Yellow Submarines, Real Madrid have had to weather an injury storm throughout their ongoing campaign. The latest entrant to the injury column was David Alaba as he suffered a tear in his ACL, which effectively ruled him out of the season.

Just when things started to look bad, an untimely muscle injury to Ferland Mendy might make things look worse for the Merengues. The Frenchman may not miss the whole season given his current injury status, however, he is likely to miss a whole month of football. This injury will open doors for a youngster like Fran Garcia, who was brought on for Mendy at halftime against Villareal.

Moving on, Real Madrid would look to focus on getting all three points against Alaves. With the likes of Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo showcasing exquisite form in the final third, this game could be another high-scoring thriller for Los Blancos.

Brahim Diaz, despite his bench role for much of the season, is poised to deliver another stellar performance for Real Madrid on Thursday. Following his recent spectacular goal against Villarreal, expectations will soar for the Spaniard as he will again look to take charge of the right-wing role, adding to the flair and energy possessed by this current Madrid attack.

Carlo Ancelotti will look to retain the same lineup against Alaves with Nacho and Fran Garcia expected to replace Alaba and Mendy, respectively. It will be interesting to see whether the Italian boss keeps his faith in Andriy Lunin. With Kepa Arrizabalaga back from injury, there will again be a tossup between the Ukrainian and Spaniard for the goalkeeping duties.

In terms of a predicted result, Real Madrid could secure a 3-0 victory against Alaves, but surprises might come from the hosts, exploiting Real Madrid's recent tendency to concede goals in their defensive line.